George Washington University
12-12, 0
LA SALLE
7-12, 0
Costlow Tosses One-Hitter to Blank La Salle
3/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
WASHINGTON - Sophomore starter Sarah Costlow threw a complete-game one-hitter to lead the George Washington softball squad (12-12) to a 6-0 victory over La Salle (7-12) in the first Atlantic 10 Conference game of the season.
The Buff and Blue threatened early after junior Megan Linn led of the bottom of the first with a double to center field. A sacrifice bunt by sophomore Alana Anderson moved Linn to third with two outs, but she was stranded.
In GW's half of the third, sophomore Morgan Rinehart worked a one-out walk and scored on a triple by Linn for the first run of the game. A double by Anderson plated Linn to give the Colonials a 2-0 lead.
GW added insurance in the fourth as junior Paige Kovalsky led off the inning with her conference-best 11th double of the season. A bunt single and a stolen base by classmate Monica Macchiarulo put two runners in scoring position for senior Morgan Matetic, who grabbed an RBI with a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Aiyana Leal-Robles' followed with a fielder's choice that scored Macchiarulo to put the Colonials ahead, 4-0.
The Colonials kept the pressure on in the fifth as Anderson walked and senior Carlee Gray was hit by a pitch with one out. A Kovalsky single drove in GW's fifth run, and Macchiarulo followed with a sacrifice bunt to put two more runners in scoring position. A La Salle error allowed GW's final run to cross the plate before the side was retired to give the Colonials a 6-0 advantage.
Costlow was stellar on the rubber, holding the Explorers hitless for 6.2 innings before an infield single squashed the no-no. The sophomore hurler struck out three while issuing just one walk en route to her team-best seventh victory of the season and seventh complete-game effort.
"Costlow threw one of her best games today," said sixth-year head coach Stacey Schramm. "She hit her spots, she was confident and she worked ahead. She understood the plan against these hitters and attacked. She did an awesome job."
Kovalsky (2-for-3, RBI) and Linn (2-for-4, RBI) led the Colonials at the plate with multi-hit games.
"It feels good to win our first conference game, but it's a long road, so we can't get too high or too low," said Schramm. "We just have to keep grinding and keep our heads on straight. We know this is the first step of many."
The teams return to the GW diamond on Saturday for the conclusion of the three-game set with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Costlow, Sarah (7-5)
L: ROADCAP (0-5)
Batting:
SH: MARTIN 1
Base Running:
HBP: GAINES 1 ; MARTIN 1
Batting:
2B: Linn, Megan 1 ; Anderson, Alana 1 ; Kovalsky, Paige 1
3B: Linn, Megan 1
RBI: Linn, Megan 1 ; Anderson, Alana 1 ; Kovalsky, Paige 1 ; Matetic, Morgan 1 ; Leal-Robles, Aiyana 1
SH: Anderson, Alana 1 ; Macchiarulo, Monica 1 ; Matetic, Morgan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Linn, Megan 1 ; Anderson, Alana 1 ; Tejcek, Riley 1 ; Kovalsky, Paige 1 ; Macchiarulo, Monica 1 ; Rinehart, Morgan 1
SB: Macchiarulo, Monica 1
HBP: Gray, Carlee 1
